Energy mix is the ultimate solution of energy crisis. It is high time that we must consider all the possible solutions to meet the national demand of energy. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Tariq Misbah, Senior Vice President Nasir Hameed Khan and Vice President Tahir Manzoor Chaudhry expressed these views here on Sunday.
They said the LCCI has long maintained to reduce the installation cost of solar panels which is too high and Pakistan heavily relies on imports of relevant technologies which makes it more costly, adding the ideal scenario may be developed by only transfer of technology and economies of scale. A decade ago, India was at the similar stage where we are right now but during this period they upgraded their technology and acquired the capability to locally produce solar panels, dry batteries and invertors, The LCCI office-bearers said.
They said solar energy can be very beneficial to bridge the gap between demand and supply of electricity in Pakistan, secondly it will also reduce the cost of energy for the industry and domestic use. Solar energy has excellent potential in areas of Pakistan that receive high levels of solar radiation throughout the year. Every day, the country receives an average of about 19 Mega Joules per square metre of solar energy, they informed.
The average daily radiation in Punjab amounts to 5-7 kwh/m2/day and with the sun shining 6-8 hours daily, 18-25 Mega joules per square meter of solar energy is available, they said, adding there are 40,000 villages which are far from the Grid and it becomes costly and uneconomic to extend grid to these locations. These villages are the prime candidates for village electrification using solar energy. The LCCI office-bearers said that hundreds of electricity operated tube-wells which use powerful electric motors that are often inefficient, besides diesel water pumps which can be replaced with solar powered efficient pumps.
The LCCI office-bearers identified the areas where solar energy can be used and in the long run can reduce the load on existing resources as well as on cost i.e. street lights electricity load can be replaced with efficient solar lighting. Talking about the way forward, the LCCI office-bearers said it should involve entrepreneurship, community participation and reorientation of perspective on viable energy sources in favour of a shift towards renewable like solar energy. The policy for solar generation by the private individual, corporate and residential towns should focus on generation of electricity in the system during the day and getting back to the normal electric power at night. Implementation of effective policies can increase the energy mix and reduce the cost of doing business in the long run, they said, the policies should be in favour of renewable sources of energy and to bring investment in these sectors.
Originally published at nation